Armenia vs. Portugal: Score, Grades and Reaction from Euro 2016 Qualifier

Cristiano Ronaldo stole the spotlight once again as he scored a hat trick to lead Portugal to a 3-2 road win over Armenia in Euro 2016 qualifying on Saturday.

The Seleccao remain atop Group I with 12 points. Denmark plays at home against Serbia later in the day for a chance to close the gap back to two with a victory. Albania is currently tied with the Danes at seven points but are inactive in this set of fixtures. Armenia has just one point. The top two automatically qualify for the tournament.

Portugal only scored a 1-0 victory over the unheralded Armenians in their previous group fixture at Estadio Algarve back in November. As a result, Media Max Sport noted head coach Fernando Santos was expecting a strong challenge in the rematch.

"The Armenia team is recently playing a different match, more sticking to the defense style," Santos said. "Three defenders and two forwards have brought a novelty in the Armenia team. Armenians have created problems for us, but we are here to win."

His instincts proved correct as the Havakakan showed no signs of backing down in the early going. The match was played on an even level for the first quarter-hour before the underdogs were able to grab the lead.

Marcos Pizzelli lined up to take a free-kick from about midway into Portugal territory. Rui Patricio clearly believed the 30-year-old midfielder, who plays for Aktobe in Kazakhstan, was going to deliver a cross, because he broke toward his right as the ball was struck fantastically into the opposite corner.

Whether the Portuguese goalkeeper could have made the stop if he made the right read is unclear. That said, full credit to Pizzelli for a well-placed shot to put his side on top.

Josh Sanchez of Campus Sports applauded the effort:

"

Woah. Armenia takes an early lead over Portugal with an absolutely brilliant strike off a set piece Marcos Pizzelli. Beautiful. #EURO2016

— Josh Sánchez (@jnsanchez) June 13, 2015"

Bleacher Report UK summed up the reaction of many:

The lead lasted about 15 minutes before Portugal was able to equalize. Some nice movement by Joao Moutinho allowed him to break free in the box before Henrikh Mkhitaryan brought him down, the referee immediately pointing to the spot as a result.

Ronaldo easily beat Roman Berezovsky, calmly sliding the ball away from the diving keeper to level the score at one apiece.

Bola Portuguesa credited Moutinho for creating the penalty:

Squawka Football updated the international scoring list for active players before No. 7 added a few more to his tally:

Portugal was able to stabilize the situation after the goal. It started controlling the match a little more and nearly took the lead before halftime as Fabio Coentrao unleashed a promising strike toward the far corner, but Berezovsky was up to the task with a quick parry.

Tom Kundert of PortuGOAL provided his thoughts on the opening period:

The Seleccao were able to continue their positive play from late in the first half in the second. It paid off as they were able to take their first lead of the evening shortly before the hour mark as Ronaldo scored his second goal of the match.

This one came thanks to a miscommunication between Hrayr Mkoyan and Berezovsky. The defender thought the keeper was going to rush out to pick up a bouncing ball, but he was slow off the line. Ronaldo was able to sneak between the two and used a nifty touch to find the net.

ESPN FC noted the mistake that allowed him to capitalize:

Just two minutes later Ronaldo had his hat trick. He smoothly pulled down a high lob in a single touch, turned toward goal and ripped a laser past Berezovsky to give his side some breathing room.

ESPN Stats and Info provided some further details about the accomplishment:

The match received an extra dose of drama as Tiago was sent off in the 62nd minute for his second yellow card. Armenia cut the lead to one 10 minutes later.

A seemingly innocent shot was directed right at Patricio, but he muffed the catch and Mkoyan was on the doorstep to tap home the rebound.

Jan Hagen of Sport Witness noted the 'keeper's struggles:

The Seleccao were able to recover in time to salvage the match, although Armenia did create some tense moments for the visiting side. Credit to the back line for stepping up over the final 15 minutes to keep the Havakakan attack mostly out of the danger areas.

SportsCenter highlighted the result:

All told, it was hardly a convincing triumph for Portugal. The Seleccao needed another masterful effort from Ronaldo to walk away with all three points. The other attacking players failed to create chances and the goalkeeping was awful.

Portugal is going to need more consistent performances when the squad returns to qualifying play in a couple months. The talent is there and there are moments when it looks like a top-tier group, but they are fleeting looks at the potential and not constant signs of better overall play.

On the flip side, give Armenia credit for fighting hard the entire 90 minutes. The Havakakan were the better side for several stretches of play and, if not for going up against one of the world's top players, they likely earn the three points.

Portugal returns to action on Tuesday for a friendly with Italy. Armenia isn't scheduled to play again until Euro 2016 qualifying resumes in early September.

Key Player Grades

Ivan Sekretarev/Associated Press

Rui Patricio (Portugal): D

He put together a dreadful performance that may force Portugal to reconsider its goalkeeping situation. Two glaring mistakes that led directly to Armenia goals, including one inside the final 20 minutes that absolutely cannot happen for a 'keeper on a top international squad.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): A

Ronaldo came to the rescue once again for the Seleccao. His success from the penalty spot is no surprise by now, but the second goal was pure effort and the third was elite skill. He needs more help if Portugal is going to win on a big stage like Euro 2016, though.

Marcos Pizzelli (Armenia): B+

He was highly active for the Armenians in the midfield. His goal was a moment of brilliance, even if poor goalkeeping helped ensure it found the net. He helped create a couple other chances with crosses that may have resulted in goals on another day but the finishing touch wasn't there today.

Roman Berezovsky (Armenia): C-

It was a mediocre showing from the Havakakan keeper, as well. Normally, it takes a couple highlight-reel saves for an underdog to earn a positive result against a side like Portugal. He wasn't able to provide that and was at least partially at fault for the miscue that allowed the second Portugal goal.

Post-Match Reaction

To follow.